2001 Massachusetts Bicycle-Related Legislation
Click on bill numbers for legislative histories, brief descriptions or
titles of bills for full text, and committee names for membership.
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MassBike Legislation
State Representative Anne Paulsen has filed two new bills
in the Mass. legislature:
- H. 2101
Bicyclist's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities,
cosponsored by Representatives Anne Paulsen, Benjamin Swan, Michael Festa,
James Marzilli, Ellen Story, Frank Smizik, Alice Wolf, Jay Kaufman, Jarrett
Barrios, Carol Donovan, and David Linsky, and Senator Susan Fargo, will
(among other things):
- give bicyclists all of the rights as other drivers
- give bicyclists the right to ride side by side, where appropriate
- adds a rule that motorists must look before opening car doors
- requires training courses on bicycle safety and laws for police officers
- requires the posting of Share the Road signs where appropriate
- prevents the posting of bicycles prohibited signs, except on
Interstate-type highways
- makes the ticketing procedure the same as that for motorists.
- require bike helmets for those under 16, and eliminates the helmet sales
tax.
- requires that motorists exercise due caution when making right hand turns
when there is a bicyclist ahead of them.
- H. 2095
Safety Helmet Sales Tax Exemption,
which simply exempts bicycle helmets from state sales tax.
The
Joint Committee on Transportation hearing on H.2101 was on June 5 at
10:00 am in State House Room A2.
Write your legislators to support this bill
The
Joint Committee on Taxation public hearing for
H. 2095 (the sales tax bill) was at 10:00 am
on March 27th in Room A-1 of the State House.
Read about
current state sales tax exemptions.
Legislation to Abolish the MDC
Two bills filed by
Senator Michael W. Morrissey
of Quincy would transfer the properties and
responsibilities of the Metropolitan District Commission to other agencies:
Governor Swift has filed the following bill:
- H. 3029 transfers the operation of MDC parkways to the Mass Highway
Department and privatizes skating rinks and golf courses.
The
Joint Committee on Ways and Means public hearing on the state budget,
which includes switching funding from MDC to MassHighway for parkways & bridge
maintenance will be
on March 28th in the State House Gardener Auditorium.
The
Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture
hearing on H. 3029 was on Thursday, May 17th, at 10:00 a.m. in Room B-2.
The
Joint Committee on Housing and Urban Development
hearings on S.628, S.629 will be on May 30 in Room B-2 of the State House
at 10am.
Here is some perspective on the MDC
from Bruce McWhirk of the Metropolitan Parks Council.
Requiring Bicycle Helmet Use to Age 17
Two bills filed by
Representative Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.
of Cambridge and a third bill filed by extend the age through which the
wearing of helmets by bicyclists is required:
The public hearing for all three bills before the
Joint Committee on Public Safety is at 10:00 am on March 29
in Room A-2 of the State House.
Read John Allens commentary first.
Changing Municipal Bicycle Law Enforcement
Representative William C. Galvin of Canton has filed
Requiring a Charles River Masterplan
Senator Cynthia S. Creem of Newton has filed
Other Massachusetts Legislation
To find other proposed legislation,
click here to search state House and Senate proposed legislation for
the word bicycle. Much of it is online as of March 28, 2001, though
the text of neither of Anne Paulsen's bills has made it onto
the General Court web
server.
Last updated May 24, 2001
by Doug Mink,
dmink@massbike.org